Nintendo GameCube

Credits

Descriptions by
mr3urious, Muzzarino, mario9000seven and TheLogoFan2004

Editions by
BenderRoblox and zman1997

Video captures courtesy of
wiisixtyfour

Background

The Nintendo GameCube is a sixth-generation video game console developed by Nintendo that launched on September 14, 2001 in Japan, November 18th of that year in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe and May 21st of that year in Australia. Being Nintendo's first disc-based console, the games came in what resembles mini-DVDs, but due to licensing reasons, Nintendo developed their own disc format that would be continued to be used up until the Wii U in 2012. Matsushita developed their own version of the GameCube (under a license agreement from Nintendo) for the Japanese market known as the Panasonic Q that would play DVDs and GameCube games in one system that released on December 19, 2001. The GameCube was discontinued worldwide in 2007 as Nintendo began focusing on the Wii.

Logo (September 14, 2001-August 14, 2007)

• 
  Open matte
• 
  Cropped 4:3 variant
• 
  Widescreen
• 
  Mario Kart Double Dash Bonus Disc variant

Visuals: Against a black background, a purple cube drops in the middle of the screen (causing a hexagon shape to flash briefly) and begins rolling around, forming a blocky purple "G" out of squares. When the cube finishes rolling, it spins around rapidly and lands in the center of the "G", causing it to shake a bit as the hexagon shape flashes again, and the cube's trail of squares solidifies into a solid line with a large cube in the center, and the words "GAMECUBE", in white, drop out from under it. The word "NINTENDO", in small gray letters, unfolds above it.

Trivia: As part of a promotion for the 2023 film The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Universal and Illumination created a Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website. For a while, if you clicked "Call or Text Us at 929-55-MARIO" at the top-right corner, the GameCube theme would play (minus the first sound and ending chord). This Easter egg is no longer intact as if you click the text it prepares your phone to call them instead. In the film proper, the theme is Luigi's ringtone for his phone.

Variants:

• If a console is turned on without a disc inserted, after the regular animation, the "G" will spin rapidly as the text moves down and fades away. This segues into the animation of the GameCube system menu.
• If a GameCube is turned on with the cover open, the completed logo will fade in. Like before, the logo segues into the system menu animation.
• One can turn the cube around by holding the A button and moving the Control Stick. Also, if one keeps turning it, the hexagon shape will appear again and become brighter as the regular animation on it disappears, and the cube segues into the animation of the GameCube system menu.
• On Wii platforms for when a GameCube disc is in the console, the logo is a still graphic, except for some lines in the background.
• On American and European Commercials, the cube rotates to its position before the letters fade in one by one. The FOV is slightly higher than normal, making the G look indigo. Several American demo discs also used this.
• Sometimes, a 16:9 widescreen version of the boot exists.
  • Also, an open matte is used for exposed framing.

Technique: CGI rendered in real time.

Audio: It starts with a laser-esque sound (almost sounding more like a psytrance bass drum) when the purple cube drops down, followed by a series of xylophone notes and plucked string notes as the cube trail is formed, and a short drumroll/string chord when the cube lands in the center. Composed in E minor (in the C Mixolydian mode)

Audio Variants:

• If the console's cover is open or there is no disc inserted, several synthesized "humming" sounds are heard as the menu forms.
• Depending on how much you spin the cube around with A, some of the "humming" sounds that segue into the menu screen can be heard, which dim the regular logo's audio.
• If you turn on the system with the "Z" button on the controller held down, different tunes play, which vary depending on how many people are holding the button down (if multiple controllers are plugged in). Here are the variants:
  • 1 controller: A series of squeaking vibraphone sounds ending with a "boing," comedic drum sound effects, and a child laughing.
  • 4 controllers: A Japanese "Yooooo" sound followed by the beating of Japanese drums, which ends in a "ding".
• On American and European Commercials, a male voice whispers "GameCube".

Availability: Seen when one turns on a Nintendo GameCube console. The Wii variant is only seen on the original model (RVL-001), as GameCube support was officially removed from the Wii Family Edition (RVL-101), the Wii Mini, and the Wii U (although functionality can be restored via the homebrew software Nintendont, and with an IPL dump can even access the original bootup).

Legacy: This is a really well-remembered startup for those who have grown up playing the system. It's also one of the more "memed" logos on the wiki.

◄ Nintendo 64 64DD

Nintendo GameCube

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